John Blaszynski Jr. (or “Chinner,” as his hockey pals call him) has dozens of endearing stories about his father, which he is quick to share, as John Sr.’s 90th birthday is fast approaching on June 8.
“Dad ran Fenwick Minor Baseball for 20 years,” said Chinner. “Young guys in Fenwick would drop by to visit him at home, and he would conduct batting practice and pitching clinics in the back yard. We ended up replacing a few windows. Sometimes kids he coached from the old Pelham High School would leave their bikes in our driveway after school, with a note that they had borrowed dad’s golf clubs to play nine holes at Steeplechase, the little par-three course down the road.”
Fenwick had some very successful teams in the rural baseball division back in the day, recalled John Sr.
“I also coached youth hockey in Pelham for a decade. I really thought the kids were the best, and an honest bunch. I played old-timers hockey until age 70, when I had some health issues. Plus, my legs told me it was time to quit,” he said with a laugh.
As a teenager, he was scouted by several professional baseball clubs, and was invited to camps run by the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates while he was playing semi-pro in Welland, said Chinner.
“He would hitchhike to games from Fenwick. Dad was a pitcher, and his catcher and lifetime friend was Gibby Parent, who went into politics and became the Speaker of the House in Ottawa. Dad helped Gibby on all his campaigns.”
John Sr. was a favourite mentor to many youth in Fenwick, said Chinner, and the locals joked that he taught most of the boys in the village to drive in the parking lot after baseball practice, in the same beat-up old Acadian that he used to drag the infield at the St. Anne’s field prior to games.
John Sr. was born in the wilderness of Togo, Saskatchewan. His early life was marked by misfortune.
“My family came over from Poland, and we lived in a log cabin in the bush,” he said. “My father passed away from inflammation of the brain when I was three, due to mustard gas poisoning during World War I, leaving my mother a widow with seven kids. The neighbours helped us out, and we ended up moving back to Pelham where we knew some people. We worked very hard, farming on Sumbler Road. My mother was very religious, and every night, we knelt down beside the bed and said our prayers. Back in the 1940s, people were not very receptive to foreigners, Catholics, or anyone other than Protestants.”
John Sr. took business courses to upgrade his skills, and went on to a career in accounting and payroll for Hayes Dana and other industrial companies. He and Elsie, his wife of 62 years, raised four kids in Pelham, three boys and a girl. Chinner is the oldest, while brother Brian (Buzz) is two years younger, followed by sisters Karen and Kathy. A pharmacist in Thunder Bay, Kathy is the only child to have left Niagara.
“I was never that talented at anything, but I worked my butt off and eventually, somehow, it all worked out,” said John Sr. with a smile. “I played tenor saxophone in a bunch of different orchestras and bands over the years, performing at weddings and other events. I wasn't that musically gifted, but I stuck with it.”
Elsie and John Sr. were married in June of 1961, and moved to Garner Avenue in Fenwick that December.
“It was the day of the Grey Cup, and it was pouring rain,” he said. “All of our furniture was piled up in a friend's truck. We just went inside to watch football on TV.”
John Sr. also enjoyed playing golf, but was not great at it, he recalled.
“I could hit a ball fine off the tee, but I didn't learn to hit my irons until I retired in 1994. I joined Peninsula Lakes, and my game improved. The Billyard family, who own the course, are great people, and I really enjoyed playing with the Billyard brothers.”
Holidays were infrequent diversions for the Blaszynski family.
“We had four kids growing up and going to university, so we didn't have a lot of money to throw around,” said John Sr. “But Elsie and I went to Jamaica for our 25th anniversary, and took a few other trips to the Caribbean, which we loved.”
These days, John Sr. does a bit of woodworking, and putters around the house finding things to repair.
“All of the buildings in the backyard, except for the gazebo, I built those. I'm in the middle of a plumbing job next door at my neighbour’s place, putting in an outdoor tap that won’t freeze in the winter,” he said, fiddling with some copper tubing while he spoke. “I don't have the energy I once had, but I can still drill a hole and work a wrench.”
John Sr. has witnessed the changes in Pelham over the years, and to his mind, not all of them are desirable.
“When I was 12 years old, I had a paper route with 52 customers,” he said. I rode my bicycle with a big carrier [bag] to deliver the Toronto Star, and I knew pretty much everybody in the town. Obviously that has changed, as the town has grown. I think the urban sprawl is a bit out of control, with those humongous buildings springing up. I think everybody should have a nice lot for their home, with a big backyard.”
At age 90, the sad reality is that he has outlived most of his pals.
“We had a lot of characters here in Fenwick when I was growing up,” he said. “The guys that I played ball with, and all the musicians in the bands, they were good friends. I really miss them terribly.”
Chinner is encouraging those who crossed paths with his dad over the years to stop in for a drink and conversation on his father’s big day of becoming a nonagenarian.
“Dad turns 90 on the eighth of June, and it would be nice if the local guys he coached could drop by 1120 Garner Avenue for refreshments from 1 PM to 3 PM, to reminisce about the good old days in Fenwick,” he said.
